"Damn the Torpedoes," a reply by Union Adm. David Glasgow Farragut to a warning of the dangerous proximity of submerged torpedoes (now called mines) at the critical juncture of the Battle of Mobile Bay (5 August 1864). As the Union fleet approached the harbor entrance, which was known to be nearly closed by mines, the monitor Tecumseh struck a mine and immediately sank. The following ships closed into a disordered group while heavy cross fire from the Confederate fleet and forts threatened them with early defeat. Farragut, in the flagship Hartford, took the lead, signaling the fleet to follow, and steamed safely through the mine fields into the harbor.
Bibliography
Knox, Dudley W. A History of the United States Navy. New York: Putnam, 1948.
Not long after You're Gonna Get It, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' label, Shelter, was sold to MCA Records. Petty struggled to free himself from the major label, eventually sending himself into bankruptcy. He settled with MCA and set to work on his third album, digging out some old Mudcrutch numbers and quickly writing new songs. Amazingly, through all the frustration and anguish, Petty & the Heartbreakers delivered their breakthrough and arguably their masterpiece with Damn the Torpedoes. Musically, it follows through on the promise of their first two albums, offering a tough, streamlined fusion of the Stones and Byrds that, thanks to Jimmy Iovine's clean production, sounded utterly modern yet timeless. It helped that the Heartbreakers had turned into a tighter, muscular outfit, reminiscent of, well, the Stones in their prime -- all of the parts combine into a powerful, distinctive sound capable of all sorts of subtle variations. Their musical suppleness helps bring out the soul in Petty's impressive set of songs. He had written a few classics before -- "American Girl," "Listen to Her Heart" -- but here his songwriting truly blossoms. Most of the songs have a deep melancholy undercurrent -- the tough "Here Comes My Girl" and "Even the Losers" have tender hearts; the infectious "Don't Do Me Like That" masks a painful relationship; "Refugee" is a scornful, blistering rocker; "Louisiana Rain" is a tear-jerking ballad. Yet there are purpose and passion behind the performances that makes Damn the Torpedoes an invigorating listen all the same. Few mainstream rock albums of the late '70s and early '80s were quite as strong as this, and it still stands as one of the great records of the album rock era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Tom Petty (Guitar), Tom Petty (Harmonica), Tom Petty (Vocals), Tom Petty (Guitar (12 String)), Tom Petty (Producer), Tom Petty (Main Performer), Mike Campbell (Organ), Mike Campbell (Guitar), Mike Campbell (Harmonica), Mike Campbell (Keyboards), Mike Campbell (Guitar (12 String)), Mike Campbell (Slide Guitar), Benmont Tench (Organ), Benmont Tench (Piano), Benmont Tench (Harmonium), Benmont Tench (Keyboards), Benmont Tench (Vocals), Ron Blair (Bass), Ron Blair (Bass (Electric)), Greg Calbi (Mastering), Donald "Duck" Dunn (Bass), Joe Gastwirt (Remastering), Lynn Goldsmith (Photography), Jimmy Iovine (Producer), Stan Lynch (Drums), Stan Lynch (Keyboards), Stan Lynch (Vocals), Jon Mathias (Assistant Engineer), Thom Panunzio (Assistant Engineer), Gary Russell (Assistant Engineer), Gray Russell (Assistant Engineer), Skip Saylor (Assistant Engineer), Tori Swenson (Assistant Engineer), Shelly Yakus (Producer), Shelly Yakus (Engineer), Tommy Steele (Art Direction), Aaron Rapoport (Photography), Glen Christensen (Photography), Glen Christensen (Cover Photo), Dennis Callaghan (Photography), Dennis Callahan (Photography)
Damn the Torpedoes was the Heartbreakers first for MCA Records.[1] Their old label, Shelter, had been sold to MCA. Petty struggled to legally detach himself from MCA, resulting in his bankruptcy.[1] In the end he was forced to settle and negotiated a deal that allowed him to release his recordings on the new Backstreet Records label, manufactured and distributed by MCA.[1] The album was recorded at Sound City in Van Nuys and Cherokee Studios in Hollywood.[2] The title is a reference to a famous quote by Admiral David Farragut.
Release and Reception
Damn the Torpedoes was released in October of 1979. The album was a breakthrough for Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was his first top 10 album rising to #2 hit (for seven weeks and kept from #1 by Pink Floyd's The Wall) on the Billboard's Albums chart.[3] It yielded two songs that made the top-fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10) and "Refugee" (#15). It was a commercial success as well. Thanks to the new co-producer Jimmy Iovine, Damn the Torpedoes proved to be a major leap forward in production.[4][5]
Track listing
All songs were written by Tom Petty, except where noted.
